An organization of people who went to high school in the Calkins Building, which served as the regional first- through twelfth-grade school for much of the first half of the 20th century, want their school building to become a museum.

Discussions about the possibility of the museum began earlier this school year, when members of the Forties, an organization that grew out of a reunion-planning session for 1940s graduates, approached the school district to see if it would sell the building.

Bill Thompson, Re-1 superintendent, explained that the district had been considering remodeling the Calkins Building, current site of the Re-1 district office, into more usable office space for both the district and the Board of Cooperative Services.

"Some community members got word that we were doing this, and thought that this would make a good museum for the community and all the artifacts that are spread all over the community," he said.

"The Forties group came to the board and asked if we would wait until they could do some investigation into what it would take to acquire this building," Thompson continued.

Last week, the Forties group submitted a grant proposal to the Colorado Historical Society for a historic-structure assessment grant to pursue the idea for the museum.

Such grants fund the assessment of a building’s structural components, mechanical and electrical systems, and interior and exterior finishes by an architect. The assessment also includes historical information about the property.

"We found out in January that the Colorado Historical Society had grants available to assess the condition, possibility, availability of historic buildings to be restored and used as museums," said Ken Wilson, a member of the Forties.

Named for Dr. Royal W. Calkins, a local physician credited with saving 462 lives during the influenza epidemic of 1918, the Calkins Building served as the Cortez schoolhouse from its construction in 1909 until 1947.